Published: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 6:28 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 6:31 p.m.

The Gadsden Police Department on Tuesday announced it has broken up an Internet prostitution ring that operated out of Gadsden and Etowah County, arresting the alleged ringleader as well as several of the prostitutes.

Chief John Crane said the department’s Special Projects Team took down the ring in “Operation Disclaimer,” working with the Drug Enforcement Unit and the FBI on the sting.

Daniel Martin Oravet, 24, was arrested June 19 and charged with second-degree promoting prostitution, which is a felony.

Sgt. Josh Russell said the ring included about five women, ranging in age from 22 to 40, from Etowah County and elsewhere.

Authorities said the ring has been operating for years. The women would advertise themselves as escorts on classified ad websites. The ads would say things like, “Enjoy my company for an hour for 100 roses,” and other similarly vague statements.

Russell said Oravet allegedly would set up locations and times for the girls to meet clients as well as give them rides to meet johns. Essentially, Russell said, Oravet acted as their pimp.

Russell said the johns came from all walks of life — rich, poor and everywhere in between.

He said the entire operation was very unique. “They’re actually flying under the radar,” he said. “It’s actually very hard to catch people in that act.”

Russell offered limited information about the sting because the investigation is ongoing and authorities expect additional arrests.

Capt. Paul Cody agreed the investigation still has a long way to go. “Right now, we have several, several thousand pages of information and data that we’re sorting through,” he said. “We’re still in the process of connecting all the dots.”

The FBI also is investigating whether any of Oravet’s activities crossed state lines.

<p>The Gadsden Police Department on Tuesday announced it has broken up an Internet prostitution ring that operated out of Gadsden and Etowah County, arresting the alleged ringleader as well as several of the prostitutes.</p><p>Chief John Crane said the department's Special Projects Team took down the ring in “Operation Disclaimer,” working with the Drug Enforcement Unit and the FBI on the sting.</p><p>Daniel Martin Oravet, 24, was arrested June 19 and charged with second-degree promoting prostitution, which is a felony.</p><p>Sgt. Josh Russell said the ring included about five women, ranging in age from 22 to 40, from Etowah County and elsewhere.</p><p>Authorities said the ring has been operating for years. The women would advertise themselves as escorts on classified ad websites. The ads would say things like, “Enjoy my company for an hour for 100 roses,” and other similarly vague statements.</p><p>Russell said Oravet allegedly would set up locations and times for the girls to meet clients as well as give them rides to meet johns. Essentially, Russell said, Oravet acted as their pimp.</p><p>Russell said the johns came from all walks of life — rich, poor and everywhere in between. </p><p>He said the entire operation was very unique. “They're actually flying under the radar,” he said. “It's actually very hard to catch people in that act.”</p><p>Russell offered limited information about the sting because the investigation is ongoing and authorities expect additional arrests.</p><p>Capt. Paul Cody agreed the investigation still has a long way to go. “Right now, we have several, several thousand pages of information and data that we're sorting through,” he said. “We're still in the process of connecting all the dots.”</p><p>The FBI also is investigating whether any of Oravet's activities crossed state lines.</p>